"Everything I do is a matter of heart, body and soul," says Donna Karan, chief designer and founder of the international company that bears her name. "For me, designing is an expression of who I am as a woman, with all the complications, feelings and emotions."

Karan credits her feminine instincts for the success of the company she founded in 1984 with her late husband Stephan Weiss, which went on to become a publicly-traded enterprise in 1996, and then five years later, was acquired by its present owner, the French luxury conglomerate, LVMH , Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

She was born into fashion on Long Island. Not only was her father Gabby Faske (who died when Karan was three) a tailor, her mother Helen was a showroom model and fashion sales rep. Even Karan's stepfather Harold Flaxman was in the fashion business. So it was only natural that Karan, while still in high school, designed her first collection and staged her first show.

Following her second year at Parson's School of Design, Karan was hired by Anne Klein for a summer job. After three years as an associate designer, Karan was named successor following Klein's death in 1974. After ten years of designing Anne Klein, Karan was ready to go out on her own with the support of Weiss and partner Takiyho, Inc. the owner of Anne Klein & Co. Fall 1985 saw the first Donna Karan New York Collection and the reaction from the press and retailers proved once again that Karan made fashion history.

Throughout her long career, Karan's peers have acknowledged her achievements with numerous accolades.